Staton's Creek, Virginia, US

Staton's Falls to Pedlar River

Usual Difficulty	V (for normal flows)
Length	0.6 Miles
Avg. Gradient	500 fpm
Max Gradient	500 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
PEDLAR RIVER AT FOREST ROAD NEAR BUENA VISTA, VA
usgs-02024915	200 - 700 cfs	V	00h32m	38 cfs (rc= -0.3 )

River Description

This half-mile heartstopper is yet another of several fine steep creeks in the Nelson/Amherst County region. Staton's makes for a quick, fun begining or end to the Blue Ridge Quadruple Crown (North Fork Tye, South Fork Tye, South Piney and Staton's). Do you have what it takes to wear the Crown??

Statons Creek is also good warm-up practice for even steeper local runs like Paul's Creek or the Upper North Fork Tye's "Adrenaline Alley" run.

Put-in below the awesome 60-70 foot tall Staton's Falls. Immediately below the falls are two easy ledges and a tight little slot leading into the first slide, the "Chunderslide"...
Above: THE CHUNDERSLIDE TREATS MASON WELL

A small, wide pool follows the Chunderslide, but this is the only bit of flatwater on the run. After that there is a 15' falls, a nice slide, a cascade, a super-tight rapid (the infamous and tricky "Log Flume"!) and tight, technical boulder gardens all the way to the take-out.


Above: MACE LAUNCHES THE CASCADE

One of the slides is "Duck and Run." Before Hurricane Isabel, "D-and-R" used to require ducking under a fallen tree in the crux of the drop. The tree is gone and now you only need to brace into a pillow coming off of the undercut right wall (it's really not as bad as it sounds). Sometimes wood collects at the base of this drop.


Above: GORDON ENTERS "DUCK AND RUN" - pre-Hurricane Isabel

Look out for small undercuts and at least one small sieve/siphon. Wood is also a concern - Staton's is an especially woody creek due to the many large, dead pine trees along the stream. This area contains a few virgin hemlock and pines but the pine blight or the wooly adelgids seem to have swept through the grove and now there is often new wood in the creek after any wind storm. Always scout the bigger drops on your first run! Scout or portage on the river-left side for all of the drops. Feel free to post in the COMMENTS section at the bottom of this page if there is wood in the creek. The wood changes often. Lately we have been running the whole creek without having to get out, but that could change tomorrow.

Take-out before (or at) the small bridge just before the Pedlar confluence. There is a dirt spur road off of Pedlar River Rd. (Rt.605) just before (south of) the bridge. The spur road leads 100 yards to a dirt parking area. Put-in below Staton's Falls on Fiddler's Green Rd. (Rt. 633).

To get to the area: Pedlar River Rd. is accessed off of U.S. Highway 60 - the main east-west highway between Lynchburg and Lexington, VA. Note: the road names in the DeLorme Atlas/Gazeteer are incorrect but the route numbers should be accurate.

A word on the gradient figure for this one: there are USGS benchmarks on both the bridge at the top of the run and on the takeout bridge. According to these benchmarks the run drops 309 feet over a half-mile (2107' to 1798'). That's an average of over 600 fpm. Take the big Falls out of the equation and this little dude is probably more like 450-500 feet-per-mile. Still PLENTY of steepness and plenty of FUN! Enjoy it.

NOTE: "Johnny Wise's Hole" - the 15' vertical falls (pictured at the very top of this webpage) has a deceptively sticky hole at the bottom. It doesn't LOOK bad, but it has caused at least two close calls so far. Rumor is that drop, which the locals call Johnny Wise's Hole, has killed more than one fisherman. It's like an Altoid mint - curiously strong! Apparently the left side wall creates a retentive vortex. If run well the drop is no problem, but getting stuck in the hole could have surprisingly bad consequnces. The boil-line is deceptively strong. This will be even more of a problem at high water. You have been warned.